Rick Pietri
American college basketball coach (born 1965)
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Rick Pietri (born July 6, 1965)[1] is an American college basketball coach, who retired in 2026 as the women's head coach at Jacksonville State University. Prior to coaching the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, he coached at his alma mater for the University of South Alabama Jaguars from 2000 to 2013.[2][3]
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 6, 1965 |
| Alma mater | South Alabama ('87) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1987–1989 | St. Paul's HS (LA) (asst) |
| 1989–1993 | Spring Hill (asst) |
| 1993–1994 | Birmingham-Southern (asst) |
| 1994–1998 | B.C. Rain HS |
| 1998–2000 | St. Paul's HS (AL) |
| 2000–2013 | South Alabama |
| 2013–2026 | Jacksonville State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 417–355 (.540) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2x Sun Belt West Division (2003, 2004) ASUN West Division (2022) | |
| Awards | |
| OVC Women's Basketball Coach of the Year (2014) | |
Personal life
A graduate of De La Salle High School in New Orleans, Pietri has a bachelor's degree in communication and a master's degree in education from the University of South Alabama (USA). He is married to the former Suzanne Odom of Mobile, Alabama, and they are the parents of two.[4]
Coaching career
After graduating from South Alabama, where he was manager of the men's basketball team from 1983 to 1987, Pietri began his coaching career as an assistant at St. Paul's High School in Covington, Louisiana. He then spent four years as an assistant with the men's team at Spring Hill College in Mobile before moving to Birmingham and one season as an assistant for Birmingham-Southern College's successful men's NAIA program.
Pietri then became the boys' basketball head coach at B.C. Rain High School in Mobile, directing his team to the Alabama Final Four four years in a row, including the Alabama Class 5A state championship in 1997. After two season as boys' coach at St. Paul's High School in Mobile, Pieri was named women's coach at South Alabama, taking over leadership of a program that had gone through ten consecutive losing seasons.[4]
In thirteen seasons at South Alabama, Pietri's Lady Jaguars had nine winning seasons, won the West division of the Sun Belt Conference twice and made two appearances in the Women's National Invitation Tournament. With a record of 220–167 and 111–104 in the Sun Belt, Pietri is the winningest coach in USA women's basketball. On March 13, 2013, Pietri was fired.[5]
In his first year at Jacksonville State, Pietri led a program that had gone 5–52 (2–30 OVC) in its previous two years to a record of 14–18 (8–8 OVC) and a semi-final finish in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. He was also named 2013–14 Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year.
Head coaching record
Source:
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Alabama Lady Jaguars (Sun Belt Conference[10]) (2000–2013) | |||||||||
| 2000–01 | South Alabama | 13–16 | 5–11 | 5th (West) | |||||
| 2001–02 | South Alabama | 17–11 | 7–8 | 3rd (West) | |||||
| 2002–03 | South Alabama | 19–11 | 10–5 | T–1st (West) | WNIT 1st round | ||||
| 2003–04 | South Alabama | 22–7 | 11–4 | 1st (West) | WNIT 1st round | ||||
| 2004–05 | South Alabama | 13–15 | 7–8 | 3rd (West) | |||||
| 2005–06 | South Alabama | 15–14 | 8–7 | 4th (West) | |||||
| 2006–07 | South Alabama | 14–16 | 7–11 | 4th (East) | |||||
| 2007–08 | South Alabama | 20–11 | 10–8 | 3rd (East) | |||||
| 2008–09 | South Alabama | 21–11 | 10–8 | 2nd (East) | |||||
| 2009–10 | South Alabama | 15–16 | 9–9 | 5th (East) | |||||
| 2010–11 | South Alabama | 17–13 | 8–8 | 4th (East) | |||||
| 2011–12 | South Alabama | 17–13 | 9–7 | 4th (East) | |||||
| 2012–13 | South Alabama | 17–13 | 10–10 | 4th (East) | |||||
| South Alabama: | 220–167 (.568) | 111–104 (.516) | |||||||
| Jacksonville State Gamecocks (Ohio Valley Conference[11]) (2013–2021) | |||||||||
| 2013–14 | Jacksonville State | 14–18 | 8–8 | 5th (East) | |||||
| 2014–15 | Jacksonville State | 19–10 | 10–6 | T–4th | |||||
| 2015–16 | Jacksonville State | 10–18 | 5–11 | 10th | |||||
| 2016–17 | Jacksonville State | 13–15 | 6–10 | 10th | |||||
| 2017–18 | Jacksonville State | 19–12 | 12–6 | T–4th | |||||
| 2018–19 | Jacksonville State | 15–15 | 9–9 | T–6th | |||||
| 2019–20 | Jacksonville State | 14–16 | 10–8 | T–5th | |||||
| 2020–21 | Jacksonville State | 15–9 | 12–7 | 4th | |||||
| JSU Gamecocks (OVC): | 119–113 (.513) | 72–65 (.526) | |||||||
| Jacksonville State Gamecocks (ASUN Conference) (2021–2023) | |||||||||
| 2021–22 | Jacksonville State | 24–8 | 13–3 | 1st (West) | WNIT First Round | ||||
| 2022–23 | Jacksonville State | 16–14 | 9–9 | 8th | |||||
| Jacksonville State (ASUN): | 40–22 (.645) | 22–12 (.647) | |||||||
| Jacksonville State Gamecocks (Conference USA) (2023–2026) | |||||||||
| 2023–24 | Jacksonville State | 12–17 | 7–9 | T–4th | |||||
| 2024–25 | Jacksonville State | 10–20 | 4–14 | T–9th | |||||
| 2025–26 | Jacksonville State | 16–16 | 9–9 | 7th | |||||
| Jacksonville State (C–USA): | 38–53 (.418) | 20–32 (.385) | |||||||
| Total: | 417–355 (.540) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
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